1. Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods for enhancing the digestibility of biomass (e.g., lignocellulose, grains) using shock treatment. Additionally, shock treatment can be used to improve meat tenderness. Specific embodiments pertain to degradation of lignocellulosic biomass material as a result of a shock treatment applied thereagainst.
2. Background of the Disclosure
In the biomass industry, the biological production of useful products from biomass is significantly hindered by the slow and incomplete hydrolysis of biomass, particularly high-lignin biomass. Digestibility is limited because of the presence of chemical components (e.g., lignin) and structural features (e.g., inaccessible surface area, crystallinity).
Chemical pretreatment is a known method of lignin removal, but it may not significantly affect structural features. Physical treatments like ball milling and two-roll milling are known to affect structural features; however, they are cost prohibitive and not economically feasible for an industrial process.
For commercial viability, when converting biomass (e.g., lignocellulose, grain) to useful products (e.g., animal feed, biofuels), there is a critical need to enhance pretreatment, which improves both the rate and extent of conversion. Although many chemical treatments are commercially viable, there are very few physical treatments that are economical and effective. As such, there is a critical need for an economically viable and effective physical pretreatment of biomass. Further, there is a need to supplement chemical pretreatment processes to further increase digestibility of biomass.
Meat tenderization is another important issue. For example, grass-fed beef is more healthful than grain-fed beef; however, grass-fed beef is not as tender, which reduces its palatability. Although extensive aging can improve the tenderness of grass-fed beef, this is expensive; thus, there is a need for a rapid method to improve meat tenderness.
There is a further need for reducing cycle and process time with an ability to quickly load and unload a shock vessel or apparatus.